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Corporate Citizenship
PSA PEUGEOT CITROEN EXCELS
IN ACTIVE SAFETY
To ensure that the Group’s cars meet its
ambitious safety objectives, close attention
is paid to every component that might
affect active safety.
• Visibility and lighting
Automobile safety depends on “seeing
well and being seen.” PSA Peugeot Citroën
has been a trailblazer in this area since
1989, when it introduced innovative
complex surface headlights on the Citroën
XM. Today, discharge lamps that generate
more intense light beams are used on
models such as the Peugeot 607 and 807
and the Citroën C5 and C8.
In 1995, the Group was also the first
carmaker to install auto rain-sensing systems
as standard equipment on several of its
models. The sensors automatically adjust
wiper speed so that drivers don’t have to
take their hands off the steering wheel.
To warn other drivers automatically of
potential danger, the Peugeot 206, 307
and 807 and the Citroën C3, C5 and C8
are factory-equipped with a system that
automatically causes hazard flashers to
blink during sharp braking.
• Ergonomics
Postural ergonomics help to minimize
driver fatigue. An example is positioning
the gearshift knob near the steering wheel
of the Citroën Picasso, Citroën C8 and
Peugeot 807, which also makes the
passenger compartment more modular
and easier to move around in. Cognitive
ergonomics focus on making a car’s
“human-machine interfaces”—like control
stalks, multi-purpose screens, and
dashboard buttons—immediately
understandable to minimize driver
distraction.
• Braking systems
PSA Peugeot Citroën rapidly introduced
ABS systems as standard equipment on
almost all lines. Ideally, training courses
should teach drivers to use the full
potential of the ABS system and in
particular to learn how it can help them
maintain control in emergency situations.
Another improvement is the electronic
brake control valve and brake-assist
system, which adjusts rear-brake pressure,
thereby preventing wheel lock and any
resulting loss of steering control. This
system is currently offered as standard
equipment on the Citroën C3 and C5 and
the Peugeot 307.
• Driver assistance systems (ESP, ASR)
The electronic stability program (ESP) and
acceleration skid control (ASR) are two
innovations currently offered on high-end
models. While ESP and ASR-equipped
vehicles are still subject to physical laws,
these systems do help to rectify minor
driving errors and decrease the probability
of losing control of the vehicle.
• Tire pressure sensors
Low tire pressure increases the risk of a
loss of trajectory stability. Pressure sensors
installed on tire valves alert the driver
when pressure falls too low. The system
is already available on the Peugeot 607
and Citroën C5 and will gradually be
extended to other models.
• Programmable speed alert systems
PSA Peugeot Citroën has developed
programmable speed alert systems that
enable drivers to choose a maximum
speed (for example, 50 kilometers an hour
in town). An audio signal sounds each
time the vehicle exceeds the chosen speed.
The system is standard equipment on the
Citroën C3, C5 and C8 and the Xsara,
the Xsara Picasso, and the Peugeot 807,
launched in 2002.
THE PSA PEUGEOT CITROËN/
RENAULT LAB: SCIENTIFIC
EXPERTISE SERVING THE
PUBLIC GOOD
For more than 30 years, the
Laboratory of Accidentology and
Biomechanics (LAB), a joint undertaking
of PSA Peugeot Citroën and Renault,
has been acquiring invaluable
knowledge in these two disciplines,
whose complexity, costs and findings
deserve to be shared in a “noncompetitive”
environment. In 2002,
LAB was a key participant in the
European Accident Causation Survey
(EACS) and international Cooperative
Crash Injury Study (CCIS) consortium.
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PSA PEUGEOT CITROËN - MANAGING BOARD REPORT